JAZZ – THE NEW METAPHOR
extracted and adapted from Getting Results Without Authority
by Geof Cox, published by BookShaker, 2010
Warren Bennis, the pioneer of the field of leadership studies once said: “I used to
think that running an organisation was equivalent to conducting a symphony
orchestra. But I don’t think that’s quite it; it’s more like jazz. There is more
improvisation.”
The metaphor of the symphony orchestra is the equivalent of the traditional
organisation – groups of specialists contributing to a total goal that the
conductor is directing. The sections of the orchestra are the equivalent of the
departments of an organisation. The leader of each section is responsible for the
specialists in his group, just like the departmental manager. They operate
independently of the other sections, producing their specialist part of the output.
The conductor is the person with the overall authority to pull the individual
parts together to create the symphony. The orchestra cannot do it on its own as
there is not the ability to communicate across the stage or hear what other
sections are doing. Equally, they are unable to switch jobs across the sections
and understand the symphony from a different perspective. They are reliant on
someone else making sense of the whole, while they focus on their own
specialism.
From his experience of working in a symphony orchestra as well as being one of
the world’s leading jazz vibraphonists, Gary Burton makes the observation “there
is often a battle between the conductor and the members, with the members
playing up and playing games to try to upset the conductor.” In the same article
for Fast Company magazine1, he relates an experience of one of his classical
friends when she was appearing as a violin soloist with the New York
Philharmonic. “At rehearsal Zubin Mehta was conducting and the players were
being incredibly disrespectful. They weren't paying attention, they were talking
to each other, listening to the ballgame on the radio. She turned to one of her
friends in the orchestra and said, ‘I had no idea things were this bad. ‘ He replied,
‘We're all on good behaviour tonight because you're here.’” Burton’s conclusion:
“The conductor has all of the control, the players are disempowered, so they
abdicate. Exactly what goes on in corporate organisations – the orchestra
conductor metaphor is not helpful.”
So what is jazz leadership?
Max De Pree in his book Leadership Jazz2 explains it thus: “...one way to think
about leadership is to consider a jazz band. Jazz-band leaders must choose the
music, find the right musicians, and perform – in public. But the effect of the
performance depends on so many things – the environment, the volunteers
1
Lessons on business from a jazz legend. The Gary Burton Trio, by Michael Schrage, Fast
Company, Issue 06, Dec 1996/Jan 1997, Page 110
2 Leadership Jazz: The Essential Elements of a Great Leader, Max De Pree, Dell Publishing,1993
playing in the band, the need for everyone to perform as individuals and as a
group, the absolute dependence of the leader on the members of the band, the
need of the leader for the followers to play well… A jazz band is an expression of
servant leadership. The leader of a jazz band has the beautiful opportunity to
draw the best out of the other musicians. We have much to learn from jazz-band
leaders, for jazz, like leadership, combines the unpredictability of the future with
the gifts of individuals."
Frank Barrett, Professor of Organisation Behaviour at the US Naval Postgraduate
School, Monterey (and a jazz pianist) says: “when the players get together they
do what managers find themselves doing: fabricating and inventing novel
responses without a pre-scripted plan and without certainty of outcomes;
discovering the future that their action creates as it unfolds3.”
That is not to say that a jazz combo is a democratic or laissez-faire organisation
compared to the autocratic orchestra. As Gary Burton points out, there is always
a strong leader in a jazz group – the difference is that the jazz leader wants
strong players who can challenge each other, not yes-men/women – “but the
vision is always mine.”
For organisations who have prided themselves on minimal risk-taking, the new
world of fast cycle change is daunting. No longer do they have the luxury of long
lead times, opportunities to pilot or engineer-out problems (or have lengthy
rehearsals). They need to operate more in the here-and-now, creating and
implementing simultaneously with the inherent risk taking, like a jazz band.
Leadership in the jazz world is all about personal qualities not scientific
methodology. It is about challenging, continually listening, encouraging high
performance from others, building the future that fits in partnership with all the
stakeholders, and being supporting when you are not soloing – and encouraging
everyone to take the lead. Getting results in this environment is all about
influence, not control.
The creation of Miles Davis’s most famous and influential album Kind of Blue is
an example of what is possible in jazz leadership. Celebrating its 50th birthday in
2009, it is the most commercially successful jazz recording of all time and still
sells in large numbers. From a leadership perspective, Davis took some massive
risks – he brought together some of the great names in jazz of the time, sat them
in a recording studio with no music or rehearsal time, and just encouraged
everyone to work together, build on each other’s ideas and listen intently to what
was being played.
His risk taking was rewarded, Kind of Blue was recorded in two sessions
totalling only eight hours, and most were first takes, despite the fact that the
band members had never played together before that day. The spontaneity, lack
of preconceived ideas and freshness that Davis created so mirrors what
3
Creativity and Improvisation in Jazz and Organizations: Implications for Organizational
Learning, Frank J. Barrett, Organization Science Vol.. 9, No.5, September-October 1998
organisations are trying to create in their leadership style that it has become a
Harvard University case study in leadership.4
Here are some practical ideas from jazz improvisation:
Interrupt habits – One of the most significant impediments to an effective
change is habit. By definition, improvisation aims to avoid the routine and safe
by seeking something unique for each moment. Constantly challenge to do
something different, stay alert and active.
Embrace errors – Miles Davis once said, "There are no mistakes in jazz." Yet in
most businesses to make a mistake is often career-limiting. The best jazz – and
the best learning – often comes from making a mistake then adjusting future
actions as a result.
Minimal structure – Organisations tend to have policies, structures and
reporting lines that inhibit flexibility and improvisation. Jazz bands operate on
the minimal of structure to enhance flexibility.
Listen intently – A jazz band doesn’t know where they are going, so they need to
continually listen, challenge and build the future that fits – just like organisations
in a chaotic environment.
Everyone solos and supports – If you are not soloing, then support; and
encourage everyone to take the lead, especially with customers or with novel
situations.
Learn informally - Musicians hang out together informally, listen to recordings
of great musicians, discuss them in great detail, memorise the great solos and
jam together.
THE AUTHOR
Geof Cox is principal of New Directions Ltd. His books include Ready-AimFire Problem Solving and Getting Results Without Authority which deal
directly with the issues of working in project and matrix organisations that
operate more on jazz principles. He can be contacted at
geofcox@newdirections.uk.com
Readers can buy a copy of Getting Results Without Authority at the special
price of £10.00 including p&p (RRP £12.00) from the website
www.gettingresultswithoutauthority.com
4
Kind of Blue: Pushing Boundaries with Miles Davis, Prof. Robert D. Austin and Carl Størmer,
reported in HBS Working Knowledge, April 2009